Henry stepped out onto the pristine white stone of the Grand Plaza, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the bright midday sun.
'It's so bright,' Annie said, walking beside him.
'Doesn't it feel good to be outside?'
Annie nodded, letting him lead the way. They took a walk around the edge of the Grand Plaza, heading towards the Old Quarter. The white stone of the plaza deteriorated as they headed south, showing dark stains and thousands of tiny cracks caused by explosions. In places it was ripped open, revealing rough brown rock and tangled cables underneath.
Signs of recent fighting were all around them. Broken droids sat in piles, waiting to be cleared away. Tower four was half its original height, ending in a jagged stump. Perhaps worst of all was the clear patch of smooth, molten stone that marked the place where Tower Five had once stood.
Annie gaped. 'What happened to the other tower?'
'You mean you don't know?' Henry said with his mouth hanging open.
'I've been sleeping a lot. Rachel told me not to leave my quarters until she came back - but she never did come back.'
'Tower Five was destroyed by the Kamari army. We lost half of Tower Four too.'
'All those lives she said,' raising her hands to her mouth.
Henry nodded. 'So many died protecting the towers.'
Annie shook her head. 'This is terrible. We should go back inside.'
'Why?'
'I don't know. Shouldn't we help with something?'
'We are helping with something, Annie. I'm the Chancellor of the Council of Cinnamon City now. There's much to be done.'
Annie nodded, wiping a stray tear from her eye. Henry paused to offer her a tissue from his pocket.
'I'm sorry,' she said. 'I just can't help thinking of all those people - how they must have suffered.'
Henry nodded. 'I know how you feel. It's been hard to sleep these past few nights. Let's walk. It'll help take our minds off it.'
They walked south across the clearer parts of the Grand Plaza, avoiding the largest bloodstains until they reached the northern edge of the Old Quarter. Annie was shaking by the time they stepped onto the dusty roads that led into the oldest parts of the city. Henry offered his arm for support and she took it without hesitation.
Many of the box cabins had been reduced to piles of rubble. Black, twisted droids were scattered across the ground where they had been blown apart by energy weapons during the Kamari attack. Some were clearly Runner Droids or Mech Enforcers but others weren't so easily identifiable.
'I can't do this,' Annie said, shaking her head.
Henry slipped one arm around her shoulder in what he hoped she would take as a friendly gesture. 'The war caused great suffering,' he said. 'So many people need our help now. There's so much that we can do if we bring the people together.'
Annie nodded, stepping out of his arm's embrace. 'I hadn't thought of it like that, but you're right. We should do what we can to help those who need help the most.'
Henry smiled as he tried to put a brave face on things. It was so easy to become overwhelmed by everything that had happened. He would never forget his time hiding in the shelters with hundreds of frightened men, women and children as the Kamari army had passed through the city. The fless had harassed them, battering the thin door of their shelter until all their nerves had been frayed.
He had learnt a valuable lesson that day. It was possible to function even in the most trying of circumstances - if you put your mind to it. You didn't have to be brave or strong. You just had to find a way of coping, and holding onto your feelings while you did what had to be done. That was what he was doing now in a way, it just felt a lot easier without the fless circling overhead.
Henry glanced subconsciously towards the sky, searching for the ominous dark creatures that had plagued his dreams ever since he had first seen them, but the sky was clear except for the hazy patterns of the Dome Shield far above their heads.
'What is it?' Annie said. 'Did I say something wrong?'
Henry shook his head. 'Come,' he said. 'Let's see if we can find some lunch.'
A fresh breeze swirled around them as they headed deeper into the city. The Old Quarter was quiet for once. The once packed streets no longer bustled with activity. Many streets were deserted except for a few stray merchants walking around.
'Good afternoon,' a portly merchant said as he strode across the street towards them. He carried a small sack under his flabby arm, and his rosy cheeks were full of joy now that he was allowed to set up stall outside the towers once more. Nothing made a merchant smile faster than a license to make profit.
Henry nodded as he walked straight past him, pulling Annie along beside him.
'I think he wants to talk to you,' Annie said with a puzzled expression.
'If our clothes were less expensive he would have no interest in us at all. Whatever he has to say can wait.'
'Oh,' Annie said, puffing to catch her breath as she struggled to keep up with him.
Henry headed across the street, raising one arm to wave at a group of guildsmen who were gathering rubble into heaps nearby.
'Pile them neat and tidy,' one of them said. 'We don't want them falling over when there are children nearby.' The others nodded as they packed smaller stones around the larger boulders, securing them in place.
'Hi Henry,' Guildswoman Emma Maven said, glancing up with a smile.
Henry nodded. 'Excellent work, Emma. With the help of the guilds, we'll have this city back in good shape in no time.'
'You seem to know a lot of people,' Annie said, lengthening her stride to keep up with him as they walked between two box cabins with matching black marks on their walls. At least these homes were still intact, unlike many of the others around them.
Henry shook his head. 'I won't answer yes to that question until I can name every man, woman and child in the city.'
'Why?'
'There's so much to be done. It's so easy to sit back and let others take responsibility, but every one of us should be involved in the repairs in one way or another.'
'I'm involved.'
'Yes. I hope you will be. We can always use an extra pair of hands. The Security Forces are down in numbers compared to what they were a month ago. There were a lot of casualties. Many are injured or unable to work at full capacity. There aren't enough to manage our basic security let alone take care of the city maintenance at the same time.'
'Okay,' Annie said, trying to straighten her tangled hair with one hand. 'I guess we can do more for ourselves.' She blushed when her stomach rumbled.
'Are you hungry?'
'Yes. I'm famished.'
'Good. Let's have an early lunch at one of the local cafes.'
'I'd like that.'
'I have a meeting this afternoon with the guilds. I'm not sure what time exactly. I'm expecting a message from one of Baker's boys.
Annie's shoulders sagged.
'Is something wrong?'
'I was hoping to spend most of the day in the city. I'm not ready to go back to the towers just yet.'
'You can come to the meeting if you like, but you might find it even more boring than staring at the walls in your quarters.'
'Do you find it boring?'
'Not at all. I like meeting all the different people. I especially like coming up with innovative solutions to all our problems.'
'Then I'll come too. I'm more than a little curious to see what these meetings are about.'